Informal Politics

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Describe and analyse the different approaches to understanding institutions.
• Have a broad understanding of how informal institutions shape political outcomes.
• Describe and examine the different approaches to conceptualizing informal institutions.
• Have a critical perspective on the advantages and disadvantages of informal institutions.
• Have developed a critical assessment of the reasons why informal institutions emerge or why they are so prevalent.

This course will examine informal politics' role in shaping various political outcomes. While most institutional approaches focus on formal institutions, in many developing countries, formal institutions have a marginal effect on actual political practices. Although informal institutions are a sine qua non to the study of politics in developing countries, the course will also examine how informal practices are present in developed countries. The module will consider the role of informal politics and institutions in the context of several areas, including political participation and mobilization, clientelism and electoral politics, grand and petty corruption, policy and policy change, and state capacity.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.